Telephone transmission and switching networks generally include portable modular units, commonly called plug-ins or plug-in units. The plug-in units are inserted into receptacles in prewired metal frameworks called hardwired equipment. Activated plug-ins form the brains of the network.
In order to facilitate inventory of plug-in units, a bar code is placed on each unit. These bar codes can be read by a scanner, which then inputs the location of the plug-in unit into a computer.
Plug-in units are manufactured by a variety of companies. Occasionally, the manufacturer will discover a problem with a particular lot of plug-in units. The manufacturers will usually send customer change notices to all of the companies which own plug-in units from that particular lot. The manufacturers commonly offer to repair the affected units free of charge, but only if the unit is returned to the manufacturer within a stated time period, commonly one or two years. After the expiration of the time period, the manufacturer will usually charge for repair of the unit.
Telephone companies which receive notice of defective plug-in units have a difficult time reacting to the notices within the stated time period. It is difficult for a user company to search through all of its plug-in units to locate the units listed in the notice from the manufacturer. Failure to find the units not only voids the warranty period, but also leaves malfunctioning equipment in service.
A related problem is identifying the disposition of plug-in units as they are returned to a warehouse location. Some units are to be junked, some units are to be tested, some are to be modified, and some are merely stored for future use. Warehouse personnel are instructed as to the disposition of each unit by means of a written list. This method is difficult and inaccurate, and substantially delays the disposition of the various plug-in units. Therefore, the purpose of the method of this invention is to facilitate the sorting of plug-in units.
The method of the invention is a method of identifying the disposition of plug-in units. A bar code is place on each plug-in unit. Then, a scanner is programmed to identify which plug-in units are to be scrapped, which are to be modified, which are to be tested, and which require no further action.
As the plug-ins are brought into the warehouse area, each bar code is scanned with a scanning wand attached to the scanner. The scanner is then read to determine what action is to be taken regarding each particular plug-in unit.